Holy Modal Rounders (1964)

Description

This is a reissue of the first two Holy Modal Rounders records, resequenced according to the artists original intent and including two unreleased songs from the time of the recording (1963-64). Perhaps the most earsplittingly original duo of the entire folk revival, the Holy Modal Rounders (fiddler-banjoist Peter Stampfel with guitarist Steve Weber) merged the raw energies of rock, traditional American folk, and blues in a weird, whimsical manner (later dunderheadedly termed acid folk). The Holy Modal Rounders performed screeching yet subtle versions of old numbers by the likes of Clarence Ashley, Vernon Dalhart, and Uncle Dave Macon, updating tunes like Hesitation Blues with a countercultural reference or two (their version of that song contains the first recorded usage of psychedelic). This is one of the coolest things about the Roundersas Stampfel writes in the liner notes, their basic approach to an old tune was to hear song, forget song, try to remember song while adding your personal wrinkles, bingo! An irreverent wit pervades the disc, from pop-tune parodies such as Mr. Spaceman to their original folk-based songs (which were neither preachy nor ham-fisteda true rarity in 63) such as Blues in the Bottle and Hey, Hey Baby. The result not only sounds way less corny than anything else from the era, but hews much closer to the raggedly strange, sublime Americana sounds of Charlie Poole, Dock Boggs, and Charley Patton.